Adjustable electrical instruments



Jan. 24, 1961 R. A. WELLER ADJUSTABLE ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed May 1, 1957 INVENTOR.

' ROBERT A. WELLER Attorney United States ADJUSTABLE ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed May 1, 1957, Ser. No. 656,441

11 Claims. (Cl. 174-46) This invention relates to an adjustable electrical instrument and more particularly to an electrical instrument having relatively movable parts with electrical wiring extending between the parts.

The invention is particularly adaptable for use with an ultrasonic transducer which comprises a handle and a transducer head pivotally supported on the handle. The electrical cable for the crystal in the transducer head is passed through an opening in the handle and is secured within the transducer head. As the head is pivoted relative to the handle, the cable is guided for movement through the handle. In prior electrical instruments of this type the cable becomes jammed in the parts or buckles between the parts and interferes with relative movement between the two portions of the instrument. In the present invention, a curved cable guide is secured to the comprises a latch pivotally supported by the handle and engageable with any one of a number of spaced locking pins carried by the cable guide. It is also desirable in instruments of this type to provide means for mounting the instrument on a variety of supports so that the instrument can be held in van'ous positions. In the present invention a novel attachment is provided by which the electrical instrument can be quickly attached and detached to various types of supports. One portion of the attachment is attached to the conduit at the end of the handle and comprises a cylindrical surface of larger diameter than the cable and having a central groove. The other portion of the attachment is carried by the support and contains a circular opening having an open side portion large enough to pass over the cable but smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical surface. After the circular opening has been placed around the cylindrical surface, a set screw is moved into the groove in the cylindrical surface to lock the attachment portion together. In the event the instrument is to be immersed in a fluid, the connection of the cable to the movable head is made fluid tight. covered with hard rubber for ease of handling.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable electrical instrument in which the electrical cable extends between relatively movable portions atent Also, a major portion of the instrument can be andin which the cable is continuously guided and sup- A further object of the invention is to provide an at- H tachment device by which an electrical instrument can be quickly and easily attached to and removed from vari- ;ous types of supports.

movable.

2,969,417 Patented Jan. 24, 1961 These and other objects of the invention not specifically set forth above, will become readily apparent from the accompanying description and drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the adjustable electrical instrument of the present invention illustrating two angular positions of the instrument and showing the instrument attached to one type of support;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section along line 2--2 of Figure 1 showing the attachment for the support;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section along line 3-3 of Figure 1 illustrating the latch mechanism for locking the instrument in various angular positions;

Figure 4 is a vertical section along line 4--4 of Figure 3 showing the curved cable guide and the locking pins carried by the guide;

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section along line 5-5 of Figure 4 showing the cable extending through the instrument, and

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of another type of support attached to the instrument.

The embodiment of the adjustable electrical instrument chosen for illustration is in the form of an ultrasonic trans ducer having a handle 10 and an adjustable transducer head 11. The head 11 is formed of a metal body 12 having a circular flange 13 and a cylindricalthreaded extension 14. A circular element on slug 15 has a flange 16 which is separated from the end of extension 14 by an O-ring 17. The element 15 is held in position by a col.- lar is threaded to extension 14 and having a lip 19 engaging flange 16. A crystal element 20 is cemented to the back of element 15 and an electrode 21 is held against the crystal by means of an electrically conducting spring 22, having one end located within an extension 23- of the electrode. The other end of the spring surrounds an extension 24 at the center of conducting cup 25 and a ceramic disc 26 has a projection 27 inserted within extension 24 to position cup 25. The disc 26 is held in position within extension 14 by ledge 28 of body 12. A second projection 29 on disc 26 has an opening 30 therethrough connecting opening 31 in body 12.

The opening 31 has steps 32 and 33 which change the size of opening 31. A circular metal gland member as has an enlarged circular rim 35 engaging step 32 and the gland and associated compressed seal 36 extend be.- tween steps 32 and 33. A compressor ring 37 is threaded into the end of opening 31 to exert a force upon washer 38 and gland 34. The end of an electrical cable 39 enters opening 31-at step 32 and has its metal braid 40 flared back and gripped between washer 38 and gland 34 in order to secure the end of the cable. The lead 41 of the cable extends through projection 29 and connects with cup 25 in order to place a voltage on electrode 21 through conducting spring 22 and cause crystal 20 to develop ultrasonic energy.

The section 42 of body 12 aft of flange 13 is reduced in size and covered with hard rubber to provide a smooth surface having flat, rearwardly tapered sides 43. A pair of spaced cable guide members 44 and 45 are connected to and extend from the end of section 42 of body 12. A pivot pin 46 extends through both guide members and through both sides 47. and 48 of a U-shaped cover member 50 within which the guide members are The guide members 44.2mm 45 have edges 51 and 52 respectively, which extend straight outwardly the distance of the pin 46 from member 11 and then form an are about pin 46. These edges are contoured at locations 53 to receive aside of cable39. A plurality of spaced pins 54 extend between guide members 4.4 and 45 and are also located on an are about pivot pin 4-6.

A trigger arm 55 is located within the cover member 50 and has a trigger plate 56 extending beyond the sides movement of guide members '44 and 45. -;extends through conduit 66-and covermember 50 and into of the member 50. The trigger is pivotally supported by a pin 57 extending through the trigger and through the sides of member 50. The curved arm 58 of the trigger extends into the space between the guide members 44 and'45 and has a notch 59 on the end thereof to receive one of the pins 54, depending upon the angular position of the head 11 relative to thehandle 10. The notch is normally held in engagement with one of the pins 54 by a spring 60 having a U-shaped portion comprised of legs 61 on opposite sides of the trigger and an end portion 62 received in anotch in the trigger arm. Each leg 61 connects with a reverse leg 63 and each leg 63 bears against a lug 64 projecting inwardly from each side of member 50. The legs 61 and 63 of the spring are pressed together and develop a force upon trigger 55 about pivot pin 46. The end 65 of .arm 58 containing notch 59 is curved at its corners and is wider than the distance between the pins 54 so that the end of the arm will not become locked between adjacent pins upon release of the trigger.

A conduit 66 has one end extending within the cover member by an amount which will not interfere with the movement of guide members 44 and 45. This one end is secured to the cover member and the other end extends from the cover member. Handle is fabricated of hard rubber which surrounds the conduit 66, the cover member 50 and the lugs 64, while having a bottom opening .67 for. plate 56 and a bottom end opening 68 to permit The cable 39 head 11 and issupportedwithin thecover member by the curved edges 51 and 52 of the guide members.

Thehandle 10 can beof such size to be comfortably gripped in the hand in such a manner that the trigger can be finger operated. An attachment illustrated in Figures -1 and 2 is also provided for mounting the electrical instrument in .a variety of supports. A cylindrical member 69 is secured to the endof conduit 66 and has a reduced cylindrical surface 70 containing a groove 71 intermediate its ends. Opening 72 within member 69 contains cable 39 and is enlarged at the end receiving the cable to facilitate bending of the cable at this point. A second part of the attachment is carried by the support and comprises a block 73 containing a circular opening 74 at one end for snugly receiving the surface 70. The bottom .edge of the block contains a slot 75 which connects with the opening 74, the slot being of sufficient width to permit passage of cable 39 into opening 74 while being-of less width than the diameter of surface 70. The block alsocontains a locking screw 76 which extends throughthe block from opening 74 and carries a knurled disc .77'at its end. One end of a-support 78 is attached to-one side of block 73 and has a hand grip 79 at the opposite end.

In attaching'the support 78 to handle 10, the cable 39 is first inserted through slot 75 and into opening 74. The block 73 is then moved along the cable to insert the surface 70 into the opening 74. Thereafter, rotation of screw 76 will move the end of the screw into groove 71 and tightly against member 69 in order to firmly lock the block 73 to member 69. The electrical instrument can then be held at a distance from the body, depending upon the length of support 78. A second type of support is illustrated in Figure 6 and comprises a flat plate 80'secured to a support surface 81 by means of a plurality'of suction cups 82 attached to the plate. The block 73 is attached to plate 80 by screw 33 and receives the member 69. Opening 74 is located centrally in block 73 and slot 75' is located in one side of the block. Otherwise, the'block 73 of Figure 6 is of the same construction as in Figure l and it attached to member 69 in the same 'The' angular adjustment of head 11 relative to handle 10 will nowbe described and this'adjustment can be easily accomplished whether handle 10 is held in the hand or supported by one of the supports described above. When the first pin 54 is in notch 59, as illustrated in Figure 4, the head 10 will be substantially in line with handle 10. If it is desired to change the angular position of head 11, pressure applied .to trigger plate 56 will rotate trigger 55 about pin 57 until end 65 of the trigger clears the-firstpin. The rotational movement of the trigger is limited by engagement of the trigger with pin 46. Thereaftenthe headll can be rotated about pin 46 to the desired angular position and the pressure is then removed from trigger plate 56 to permit end 65 of the trigger to move towards .a pin 54. If the notch 59 is not exactly in line with one of the pins, the head can be moved slightly until the notch receives the closest pin. Because of the width and shape of end 65, no positive locking action results unless a pin 54 is within the notch 59. The spring 60 serves to hold the notch in engage ment with a pin 54 until pressure is again applied-to trigger plate 56 to permit change in the angular position of the head. It is apparent that each pin 54 corresponds to a different angular position in which the head can be locked.

During rotation of the head, the cable 39 will move with the head and will be guided by member 69, conduit 66 and cover member 50. Also a portion of the cable will rest on the curved edges 51 and 52 of the guide member and as the angle between the head 11 and handle 10 increases, more of the cable will wrap around these edges. When the notch 59 is in the lowest pin 54 of Figure 4, the head will be at substantially right angles to the handle and the cable will curve around and engage the full length of the curved edges. The dotted 'line position of Figure 1 illustrates the position of head 11 when notch 59 engages the next to the lowest pin 54 and shows the manner in which the cable wraps around and is supported by the guide members. During angular movement of the head, only the portion of cable 39 extending between head 11 and handle 10 is not fully guided by structure around its entire circumference and this position is guided and supported on one side by the guide members 44 and 45. Since this portion is very short and since the cable has some stiffness, no buckling of the cable will result during adjustment of the angular position of the head.

Generally, the present invention provides a novel mechanism for connecting relatively movable parts of an electrical instrument or device for movement relative to one another and for firmly locking the parts in any one of a number of relative positions. Also, means are provided for guiding the cable extending between the parts so that the cable moves freely without buckling. It is understood that the head 11 and handle 10 are only one example of such relatively movable parts. Various modifications are contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereafter defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable electricalinstrument comprising an electrical cable, a first member receiving one end of said electrical cable for attachment of said cable to ;said first member, guide means extending from said first member for supporting the position of said cable adjacent said first member, a second member pivotally connected to said guide means to provide for relative angularmovement between said members, and passage means within said second member 'for receiving said cable and guiding the movement of said cable within said second member upon relative movement of said members, said guide means comprising a-support surface commencing at the point said cable is received by said first member and having a-portion shaped man are about said pivotal connection, said support surface being movable within said second member to continuouslysupport said portion of said cable on one side and to support-an increasing length of said portion as the angle between said mem bers increases to increase the length of said cable extending between said members, said guide means having a plurality of locking pins positioned in an are about said pivotal connection and latch means comprising a trigger arm pivotally mounted on said second member and having a notch for receiving any one of said pins, said trigger arm being spring biased toward said pins and having a trigger plate for moving said trigger arm against said spring bias and away from said pins.

2. An adjustable electrical instrument as defined in claim 1 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of spaced elements, said locking pins extending between said elements and said trigger arm extending between said elements to engage said notch with any one of said P1118.

3. An adjustable electrical instrument comprising an electrical cable, a first member receiving one end of said electrical cable for attachment of said cable to said first member, guide means extending from said first member for supporting the position of said cable adjacent said first member, a second member pivotally connected with said first member to provide for relative angular movement between said members, and passage means within said second member for receiving said cable and guiding the movement of said cable Within said second member upon relative movement of said members, said guide means comprising a support surface commencing at the point said cable is received by said first member and having a portion shaped in an are about said pivotal connection, said support surface being movable within said second member to continuously support said portion of said cable on one side and to support an increasing length of said portion as the angle between said members increased to increase the length of said cable extending between said members, said guide means having a plurality of locking pins positioned in an are about said pivotal connection and latch means comprising a trigger arm pivotally mounted on said second member and having a notch for receiving any one of said pins, said trigger arm being spring biased toward said pins and having a trigger plate for moving said trigger arm against said spring bias and away from said pins.

4. An adjustable electrical instrument as defined in claim 3 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of spaced elements, said locking pins extending between said elements and said trigger arm extending between said elements to engage said notch with any one of said pins.

5. An adjustable electrical instrument comprising: a substantially taut electrical cable; a first member receiving one end of said electrical cable for attachment of such cable end to said first member; a second member; guide means extending from said first member and pivotally connected to said second member to provide for relative angular movement between said members, said guide means comprising a support surface commencing at the point said cable is received by said first member and having a portion shaped in an are about said pivotal connection extending into said second member, said support surface being movable within said second member to continually support that portion of said cable from said first member and extending around said support surface for preventing buckling of said cable upon such relative angular movement of said members; passage means within said second member for receiving said cable and guiding the movement of said cable within said second member upon relative movement of said members; a plurality of spaced locking means carried by said guide means and positioned in an are about said pivotal connection; and latch means movably supported by said second member for selectively engaging one of said locking means to hold said members in a selected angular relationship.

6. An adjustable electrical instrument comprising: a substantially taut electrical cable; a first member receiving one end of said electrical cable for attachment of said cable to said first member; a second member; guide means extending from said first member and pivotally connected to said second member to provide for relative angular movement between said members, said guide means comprising a support surface commencing at the point said cable is received by said first member and having a portion shaped in an arc about said pivotal connection extending into said second member, said support surface being movable within said second member to continually support that portion of said cable from said first member and extending around said support surface from preventing buckling of said cable upon such relative angular movement of said members; passage means Within said second member for receiving said cable and guiding the movement of said cable within said second member upon relative movement of said members; a plurality of spaced locking pins carried by said guide means and positioned in an are about said pivotal connection; and latch means comprising a trigger arm pivotally mounted on said second member and having a notch for receiving any one of said pins, said trigger arm being spring biased toward said pins and having a trigger plate for selectively moving said trigger arm against said spring bias and away from said pins.

7. An adjustable lectrical instrument as defined in claim 6 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of spaced elements, said locking pins extending between said elements and said trigger arm extending between said elements to engage said notch with any one of said pins.

8. An adjustable electrical instrument comprising a first member, a second member connected with said first member to provide for relative movement between said members, a substantially tau-t electrical cable having one end secured to said first member and extending through said second member inwardly and outwardly in relatively movable relationship thereto, passage means within said second member for guiding the movement of said cable within said second member upon relative movement of said members, support means for supporting said instrument, attachment means for detachably connecting said support means to said second member, said attachment means comprising a cylindrical member secured to and extending from said passage means and freely encircling said cable whereby the latter may freely move through said cylindrical member, said cylindrical member having a cylindrical outer surface containing an annular groove, a block member attached to said support means and containing a circular opening for receiving said cylindrical surface, said block member containing a slot connecting with said opening for permitting insertion of said cable into said opening, said slot being of less width than the diameter of said cylindrical surface, and locking means carried by said block member and inser-table into said groove for locking said block member to said cylindrical member whereby said instrument is supported by said support means without interfering with the movement of said cable with respect to said instrument.

9. An attachment device for detachably connecting an electrical instrument to a support means, such electrical instrument having an electrical cable attached thereto and relatively movable inwardly and outwardly thereof, comprising: a cylindrical member secured to said instrument and freely encircling such cable whereby the latter may freely move through said cylindrical member, said cylindrical member having a cylindrical outer surface containing an annular groove; a block member attached to said support means and containing a circular opening for receiving said cylindrical surface, said block member containing a slot connecting with said opening for permitting insertion of said cable into said opening, said slot being of less width than the diameter of said cylfndrical surface; and locking means carried by said block member and insertable into said groove for loch! ingsaid block member to said cylindrical member whereby said instrument is supported by said support means without interfering with the movement of said cable with respect to said instrument.

10. An instrument comprising a first member, guide means extending from said first member, a second member, a pivot pin having a pivotal axis and connecting said second member to said guide means to provide for relative angular movement between said members about said pivotal axis, said guide means having a portion shaped in an arc about said pivotal axis and a plurality of locking pins positioned in said are parallel to said pivot pin, and latch means comprising a trigger arm pivotally mounted on said second member for selective pivotal rotation in a plane at right angles to said locking pins and having an end provided with a notch for receiving any one of saidlocking pins, said trigger arm being spring biased toward said locking pins and having a trigger plate for selectively moving said trigger arm against said spring bias and away from said locking pins, said notch end having a rounded configuration for permitting locking registration of said notch with a succeeding one of said pins by relative rotation of said members when said notch has been disengaged from said pins.

11. An adjustable electrical instrument as defined in claim 9 wherein said guide means comprises a pair of spaced parallel elements, said locking pins being disposed between and secured to both of said elements, and said trigger arm extending between and parallel to said elernents to selectively engage said notch with any one of said locking pins.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 394,037 Van Depoele Dec. 4, 1888 2,170,882 Wideroe Aug. 29, 1939 2,188,150 Malat Jan. 23, 1940 2,455,786 Lanter Dec. 7, 1948 2,533,749 Young Dec. 12, 1950 2,611,042 Napoli Sept. 16, 1952 2,623,957 Cragg et al Dec. 30, 1952 2,697,776 Wale Dec. 21, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 487,456 Great Britain June 31, 1938 

